Halloween Citrus Cupcakes

Last minute Halloween Citrus Cupcakes they should really be called. Just after I let my eldest go to school with her grandmother I started making these. They are inspired from Fiona Cairns Monster Cupcakes and they are just fab!

It all took about an hour and a half under the close supervision of my youngest – only 22 months at the moment and very clingy at the moment. Some of the tasks were done with her in my arms of course.

Ingredients for batter:

250g unsalted butter, softened, diced

250g self-rising flour

1 tsp baking powder

finely grated zest of 2 large oranges and juice of 1/2

250g golden caster sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation:

For this batter, you can use an electric mixer with beater attachment, a food processor or a bowl and an electric whisk.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, add the orange zest, sugar, butter and eggs.

Beat together and lastly add the orange juice.

Ingredients for syrup– this is optional. I put on some and on others I didn’t. The ones with the syrup are definitely better and softer.

Juice of 2 lemons

5-6 tbsp of caster sugar

Ingredients for the icing:

5-6 tbsp de lemon and orange juice

500g of icing sugar , sifted

For the topping we used some decorations we bought from Lidl.

When the batter is ready line up two cupcake tins with paper cases. Using a spoon divide the batter between the cases. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cakes spring back to the touch. If you are making the syrup pour it over the cupcakes as soon as you take the cupcakes out. You need to make some little holes in the cupcakes using a toothpick as otherwise the syrup will not go completely in them.

Let them cool and them ice them and add any other kind of decoration you might have. The icing will set in about half an hour so if you have kids like mine they will watch the clock until you tell them : You can have one now!